Marzonis Oktoberfest

Sampled from a growler at a IBC. Aroma is a typical grainy sweet malt w/ a touch of alcohol. A beautiful deep amber red color with a small white head. Flavor actually has a nice bitter character. Caramel and grainy. The hops are sort of papery. A pretty decent Oktoberfest.

Rated 10/30/07 - Draft at Brewpub. Nice red-amber color, small off-white head. Nice malty nose, carmel and toffe, biscuit and bread. Slight touch of floral hops. Good malt character w/ nice crisp hop finish. Carmel is prevelant.

on tap-- caramel, toast and honey. clear color with a solid head. lighter texture than expected, slight hop edge. stays away from cloying but not enough diversity to tyhe malt

On tap 10/25/07 as part of a sampler rack. Deep amber with short lived white foam, no lacing. Aroma is almost banana bread like, a bit too much banana for me. Flavor had some more plantain-ness and was a bit too sweet, needs some balance.

On tap at Marzonis in Allison Park. Wow! After 6 of their beers I was sure I wouldn’t find one that stuck out. This one did and then some! Pour was darker than any O/M than I’ve ever head. Dark brown with a tan 2 finger head. Aroma was decent but not strong. Caramel and malt in the background. Now the taste is what makes this different. There is a deep roastiness to this beer that make it different. There is caramel in the front and a nice smoky malty film going down the throat in the aftertaste. More complex than any O/M I’ve had.

Most definitely not a great beer, but not bad for the style, at least in my opinion because in not a big fan or the style.

Draught at the brewpub. Pours bright rust color with ivory head. The aroma is malty with caramel and some burnt leaves and a hint of bitter chocolate. the flavor is caramel with some charred wood and a little bit of leafy dryness. Sweet finish, pretty smooth all in all.

On tap at the Marzoni’s in Allison PArk, near Pittsburgh. Pour is dirty brown in color with a slight haze. Thin head. Has a unique earthy aroma about it. The bouquet is like freshly plowed dirt or gravel, in a nice way. I think I detect permanent hair treatment odors too. These aromas carry over to the taste and initially lead to a really interesting palate experience. Good carbonation for a tap, friendly and attention getting. Taste is not bitter at first but some slight mettalic bitterness does begin to manifest itself on the back of the palate. Does not possess much of the ’fest’ flavors that I normally detect with other marzens or octoberfest beers, and I’m glad of it. Some medium industrial bitterness on the finish hangs for a while after the session. Decent fest entry.